Chapter 15: Comprehending the Dao

There are no cultivators in the world; Ye Qin is the only snake who has embarked on the path of cultivation nowadays. Faced with this problem, he cannot help but fall into deep thought.

Currently there are only two possible answers:

One is that there truly are no cultivators in the world;

Two is that cultivators are too secretive, unknown to ordinary books; perhaps only the state knows?

Regarding these two situations, Ye Qin cannot say how to distinguish them, but no matter what, figuring it out would help his current cultivation.

"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; named is the mother of all things."

"Therefore, constantly being without desire, one observes its subtlety; constantly having desire, one observes its manifestations."

"These two arise together yet differ in name; both are called the profound. Profound again profound, the gateway to myriad wonders."

Gazing at the Dao De Jing before him, Ye Qin was instantly drawn to it, and this passage from the Dao De Jing, which is actually widely circulated, he had heard many times in his previous life.

Basically, anyone from Great Xia can recite these two lines.

But in his previous life he merely recited it as a catchy phrase, unable to truly feel the present sensation.

"Is this because of cultivation?"

The Dao De Jing was authored by Laozi; it can be said that the book offers unique insights into the formation of the universe and the laws of nature.

Even the concept of the Dao was first proposed by Laozi; he believed that heaven is not eternal nor fundamental, while the most fundamental is the Dao.

To practice the Dao, to cultivate the Dao, to attain the Dao—all take the Dao as the ultimate goal.

Such a person who believes in the Dao, in the end, did not clearly state that he had attained the Dao.

Due to his own limitations, lacking innate spirituality, he could only go this far; otherwise, what is said in the book would not be just these, but there should be concrete cultivation methods.

Through these fragmentary sayings in the ancient texts, Ye Qin, as someone who has come before, has made some guesses.

He guessed from the subtle clues between the lines that Laozi likely was about to embark on the path of cultivation, and even very possibly, like himself, had experienced a momentary state of deep meditation!

That state is too mysterious; Ye Qin still remembers it vividly, but unfortunately it cannot be entered at will—it requires great opportunity.

Upon entering this state, one falls into an extraordinary sense of sudden enlightenment, with thoughts racing extremely fast, understanding of all things seeming innate, and various mysteries.

Ye Qin also, because he had once entered this meditative state, fortuitously opened the path of cultivation.

But Ye Qin discovered that ancient sages like Laozi, limited by their own conditions, were barred from cultivation, and thus spent their whole lives unable to advance further.

Therefore he summarized his thoughts and left these writings.

Although his meditative state was fleeting, it also gave him much inspiration, leading to the creation of many renowned works of thought.

He hoped to inspire future generations, wishing that among later ages there would be gifted individuals who could fulfill his unfulfilled aspirations.

Later generations have recorded that Laozi went west to retire, arriving at Hangu Pass; the gatekeeper Yin Xi, climbing the tower to look afar, saw purple vapor coming from the east and knew a sage was approaching.

Legend says that before Laozi passed Hangu Pass, the gatekeeper Yin Xi, who guarded the gate, saw a cluster of purple vapor drifting from the east, believed a sage must be coming, hurried to greet him, and indeed saw Laozi slowly arriving on a green ox.

Yin Xi hosted Laozi for several days, asked him to write; Laozi could not refuse, thus leaving behind the famous five thousand characters, which the world calls the Dao De Jing.

This is the origin of the Dao De Jing.

Perhaps this is true, but inside there are also some exaggerated facts.

It seems Laozi's westward journey might have been to break through himself and seek cultivation methods; perhaps he, like me, discovered that humanity lacks spirituality, so he could not enter cultivation, leaving only ideological inheritance but no cultivation method.

Ye Qin does not know whether Laozi ultimately found a solution.

But it is very likely he did not find it; otherwise, upon reaching Hangu Pass, what he left behind should have been concrete cultivation methods, not the Dao De Jing, this renowned work of thought.

Undeniably, this person Laozi possessed great talent; relying only on a moment of sudden enlightenment, he could have such feeling, enough to see his talent and ability.

However, his innate conditions were insufficient, bound by innate shackles; as a human, he ultimately lacked spiritual energy, otherwise who knows if he could truly have become the first cultivator?

From ancient times to the present five thousand years, there may indeed be many sages like Laozi; perhaps in antiquity some truly touched the gate of cultivation, saw a glimmer of hope, but due to their own and heavenly limitations could not find cultivation methods, so they could only leave fragmentary sayings to enlighten later generations.

Such people can readily name a few, like Lü Dongbin, Zhuangzi, etc.

Ye Qin felt this deeply, also rather regrettable, but even as great works of thought, they are sufficient to give him great inspiration.

If he had not entered cultivation, these great works of thought could only inspire thought; but after stepping onto the path of cultivation, he would discover that these sages' ideas are truly ahead of their time and profound, containing great wisdom!

This does not belong to cultivation methods, but is a rare summary of insight into heaven, earth, and nature.

He continued to browse the ancient texts, and also read many books related to serpent kind.

I am different from these people; they cannot break through the limits of heaven and earth, but I, with a snake's body and a human's soul, have spirituality and wisdom coexisting—this is my opportunity.

In other words, Ye Qin has now been reborn into this little black snake's body, possessing wisdom; from ancient times to the present, he is the sole exception and a variable.

When heaven sends down strange things, there must be great change.

Human wisdom combined with the innate spirituality of animals has evolved into an unparalleled talent for sudden enlightenment, and he himself is a person who has died and been reborn, lived and died again.

With all these factors supporting him, Ye Qin can effortlessly perceive the myriad things of nature; thus what these people cannot feel, he can.

Their sudden enlightenment may last only a moment, but Ye Qin's sudden enlightenment can endure for a long time.

After all, since ancient times, snakes have been endowed with divinity, carrying a hint of mystery.

The snake totem has existed since ancient times; in antiquity, it had a massive popular base, many ancient tribes and peoples worshipped the snake, regarding it as a sacred object capable of bringing enduring blessings.

Fuxi, Gonggong, Zhulong, and these ancient deities are all human-headed snake-bodied.

Needless to say, the renowned Nüwa, who mended the heavens and created humanity, honored as the Mother of Earth, is a typical representative among them.

Of course, his former body was merely an ordinary little green snake, but at the brink of life and death he crossed over again.

The body that should have died regained vitality; combined with the snake-bodied human soul, it formed a wondrous magnetic field, and with animal spirit colliding, it produced an unparalleled talent.

With all these supports, Ye Qin could thus quickly find the entry secrets, and even possess an unusual sudden enlightenment, which can be seen from his cultivation.

Everything can only be said to be a yin-yang mishap; at the root, it boils down to a single character: 'fate'.

Yet the law of fate is marvelous beyond words, unspeakable.

All cultivation methods were personally explored and created by Ye Qin, unique to his cultivation; one could say he has opened a road with no predecessors and no successors.

But this does not mean that there are no traces left by the ancients.

If he had not seen that book, the Yellow Emperor's Yin Fu Inner Classic, he would not have thought of using cultivation to resolve his predicament.

In the dim, there is a fixed number.

Just as he is now in the library studying ancient texts, exploring the past and present, seeking the traces of those who came before, to clear up his own confusion.

Unbeknownst to him, a night had already passed; hearing the footsteps outside, Ye Qin only then suddenly Startled Awakening, and glanced at the sky by the window.

"The sky brightened so quickly."

To him, it seemed as if only a dozen or so minutes had passed.

(End of chapter)